Refrigerating apparatus



Aug. 15, 1933. y E, B NEw|| 1,922,899

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed May 31, 1932 Patented Aug. l5, 1933 1,922,899 l REFRIGERATING APPAmi'rUsV .Edward B. Newill, Dayton, Ohio', assignor tou Frigidaire Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, a Corporation of Delaware Application May 31, 1932. Serial No. 614,485

4 Claims. (Cl. 156-10) This invention relates in a general -way to refrigerating apparatus and more particularly to means for preventing the entrance of heat to the interiorof a Abuilding or other enclosure 5 through the windowsthereof.

Recently, for the purpose oi' increasing railroad passenger traffic, there has been a movement to increase the comfort for passengers of railway passenger cars, particularly in the form of maintaining the cars cool and comfortable in the summer months. For this reason, some of the cars have been precooled before starting on the run, while in other cases, a refrigerant air conditioning apparatus has been provided for continuously cooling the air in the car while in operation'.

In either case, in order to reduce the amount of refreigeration required, it is desirable to employ 'some way to reduce the heat leak into the car. It has been determined that fully 50% of the heat leaking into the cars enters through the windows.

Consequently, it is an object of my invention to reduce the amount of heat entering the car through the windows.

Inasmuch as a considerable amount of the heat entering the car is due to the primary and the reflected rays of the sun, and since the window shades are ordinarily pulled down on the sunny side of the car, it is a further object of my invention to so provide and construct the window shades that they will provide an effective barrier against the entrance of the rays of the sun into vthe car.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

l In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a rail'- way passenger car embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of one of the Window shades of the car embodying my invention.

Referring to the drawing and more particularly to Fig. 1, I have shown for the purpose of illustrating my invention a railway passenger car 20 having a passenger compartment 21 and an air conditioning compartment 22. 'In the air conditioning compartment 22, there is provided an air conditioning apparatus comprising a compressor 23 for -compressing a refrigerant and for forwarding the lcompressed refrigerant to the condenser 24 where the compressed refrigerant is condensed and collected in the receiver 25. From the receiver-25 the liquefied refrigerant is forwarded through the supply con.- duit 26 to an automatic expansion valve 2'7 60 which controls the flow of liquid refrigerant into the finned evaporator 28. Air is drawn from the passenger compartment 21 and blown over the surfaces of the evaporator 28 by a motor-driven fan 29 which thus causes the air to be returned to the passenger compartment 21. The warm air blown over the surfaces of the evaporator 28 causes. the liquid refrigerant to vvaporize and this vaporized refrigerant is returned to the compressor through the return conduit 30. The com- 7 pressor 23 is preferably driven by an electric motor 31 through suitable pulley and belt means. The electric motor 31 and the compressor 23 are. provided with fan means for circulating air over the condenser 24 to cause the condenser to re- 75 main comparatively cool. The air circulated over the surfaces of the condenser is discharged outside of the car so as to prevent this heat from entering the passenger compartment 21. The electric motor 31 is supplied with electric energy from the lighting batteries or from a generator mounted either upon the car or on the locomotive.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 2, there is shown a section through a portion of the passenger compartment including one of the windows 35. Adjacent the window 35 but spaced therefrom there is provided a spring roller type of window shade 36. In general this window shade 36 is similar in mounting and construction as is found in general upon railway passenger cars but in addition to the -ordinary fabric portion 37 found upon ordinary4 window shades, I cover the surface of both sides of this fabric portion with a sheet of bright metallic foil 38 such as bright aluminum foil or zinc foil. The sheets of foil are preferably attached to thev fabric portionof the window shade by means of a suitable adhesive such as rubber cement, asphalt or a suitable glue. In covering the window shades with foil, it is preferable to use very thin foil and it is desirable to use an adhesive which remains flexible, particularly rubber cement or asphalt. The other window shades in I the car are similarlyconstructed. Hence upon the sunny side of the car, the window shades will all be pulled downv and by reason`of the bright reflecting surfaces of the shades, the suns rays will be prevented from entering the coil 11o through the window. Furthermore, by reason of the dead air space provided between the window 35 and the window shade 36 when the shade is pulled down, the'heat often caused by absorption of heat in the glass will be prevented from being conducted to the interior of the car.

There is another advantage of applying foil to the surfaces of the Window shades. It is Wellknown that the sun in time causes the fabric 'to lose its strength and tear easily. By covering the window shades with metallic foil as mentioned above, the life of the window shades is prolonged greatly by preventing the suns rays from exerting their destructive forces upon the fabric of the window shades. It has been determined by scientic experiments that bright aluminum or zinc foil will reect about 94% of the sun's rays. It will thus be seen that my improved shade will greatly reduce the amount of heat entering the car and will also prolong the life of the shade.

While I have found my improved shade particularly valuable for use in both refrigerated -and non-refrigerated railway passenger cars, it

should be understood that it may also be applied to windows in buildings and residences and is equally effective in such use. My invention therefore is not limited to the use of such shade in connection with railway cars, but is applicable to windows in residences and in other types of buildings.

Although I prefer to attach the bright metal foil to a fabric, backing to provide ample strength, I have found that paper backed foil. with foil on one or both sides, or even metal foil without backing may be used to advantage where the shade is likely to be carefully handled.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed constitutes a prefrred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming withinthe scope of the claims which follow.

What is vclaimed is as follows:

LA device for preventing the entrance of radiant heat to an enclosure through a window opening therein which comprises a body portion of relatively strong, flexible sheet material and a heat reflecting portion comprising a thin exible sheet of aluminum intimately secured to said body portion on the outside thereof and having a smooth bright surface.

2. A device for preventing the entrance of radiant heat to an enclosure through a window opening therein which comprises a body p0rtion of relatively strong, flexible sheet material and a heat reecting portion comprising a thin flexible sheet of metal intimately secured to said body portion on the outside thereof and having a smooth bright surface.

3. A device for preventing the entrance of radiant heat to an enclosure through a window opening therein comprising a sheet of thin ilexible bright aluminum and means for mounting said sheet in one position to present one surface thereof directly to incoming rays of `heat and movable to another position wherein the sheet lies outside the path of heat rays entering the window.

4. A device for preventing the entrance of radiant heat to 'an enclosure through a window opening therein comprising a sheet of thin flexible bright metal and means for mounting said sheet in one position to present one surface thereof directly to incoming rays of heat and movable to another position wherein the sheet lies outside the path of heat rays entering the window.

EDWARD B. NEWILL. 

